Propulsion device



I June 26, 1923.

L. G. BOSTEDO PROPULSION DEVICE Filed Oct. 2, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 26, 1923.

L. G. BOSTEDO PROPULSION DEVICE Filed 001;.

1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "3% 171067775571 loads 6 ,Bosfedq $3 %M/, Y 77 atented June 26, 1923.

LOUIS G. BOSTEDO, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

rnorunsrou DEVICE.

Application filed October 2,1919. Serial No. 328,084.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS G. Bos'rnno, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propulsion Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for effecting propulsion of craft navigating a fluid medium,-being chiefly designed to effect propulsion of water craft, although capable, within the principle of the invention and with detail modification of the apparatus, of application to air craft.

y present invention is based upon the same broad principle of operation as that disclosed. in Letters Patent No. 1,305,340, ranted tome June 3, 1919, and Letters Fatent No. 1,405,482, granted to me February 7, 1922, in that it dispenses with the use of mechanical appliances such as cylinders and pistons, paddle wheels, and screws for transmitting the expansive energy of the motive fluid to the fluid being navigated, and operates upon the principle of discharging the combustion products of a continuously burning motive fluid directly against the fluid medium being navigated, the vessel being propelled by the reaction of the combustion products expanding directly against the fluid being navigated as an abutment.

In my former patents above referred to,

I the motive agent consists of a mixture of products of combustion from an oil burning furnace and air, these fluids being expanded down to or below atmospheric pressure in an expansion chamber or propulsion tube projecting from the rear of the vessel. According to my present invention, I employ an oil burning furnace continuously supplied with oil and air to support combustion, and the products of combustion, on their way to the propulsion tube, are utilized to generate steam in a boiler, the steam thus generated, in turn, being passed on to the propulsion tube and, on its way, serving through the agency of one or more injectors to step up the pressure of the products of combustion as well as inducing the continuous rapid flow of the latter from the furnace to the propulsion tube. Preferably also I entrain into the products of combustion on their way to the propulsion tube a regulable volume of air which mixes with the products of combustion and steam and,

being heated by the latter, augments the volume of expanding fluid in the propulsion tube and converts into additional energy a boiler, to operate an air compressor for maintaining a compressed air head on the oil in the fuel oil tank, and for atomizing oil as it flows into the furnace.

A leading objecthad in view in the designing of the present apparatus is an efficient interchange and conservation of heat in such a manner as to reduce the heat waste to the lowest possible minimum; and this object may be more perfectly attained by entirelysurrounding the apparatus by a housing or casing the interior walls of which are of burnished metal, glass or other substance having a high capacity for reflecting back the heat rays onto the arts of the apparatus, thus reducingthe oss of heat by radiation to a minimum.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated, somewhat diagrammatically, an apparatus through and by which the invention may be carried into effect, and I have indicated the same as applied to the propulsion of a boat.

Referring to the drawings-Figs. 1 and 1 placed end to end show a sectional plan of a system employing two complete units located symmetrically on opposite sides of the median or keel line of the boat;

Figs. 2 and 2 placed end to end show a vertical section through one of the units: and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings, 4 designates an oil burning furnace preferably located near the bottom of the boat 5 and, in the instance shown, on one side of the median or keel line, indicated at 6. Oil is supplied to the furnace 4 from a superposed oil tank 7 through pipes 8 and injector nozzles 9, the oil being atomized by steam supplied through a pipe 10, and air to support combustion being induced around the nozzles 9 through holes 11 in the rear wall of the furnace through which the nozzles 9 project. To facilitate the flow of the oil, it is heated by a steam coil 12 located adjacent to the point at which the oil supply pipe 8 taps the oil tank 7. The steam used to heat the coil 12 is drawn off from the steam pipe 10 through a pipe'13, and after passing through the coil '12, it is discharged into the furnace 4 throu h a steam nozzle 14. A compressed air ead is maintained above the oil in the tank 7 by means of an air compressor conventionally indicated at 15 and driven by steam supplied thereto through a steam pipe 16, the compressed air being delivered into the top of the 011 tank through a pipe 17.

Just beyond the furnace 4 in a direction toward the rear of the boat, is a flash boiler designated as an entirety by 18 and consisting, in the instance shown, of a large number of parallel steam tubes 19 occupying substantially the entire cross section of the boiler casing. The uppermost row of tubes designated by 19' are the tubes through which the water enters the boiler at its rear end, flowing forwardly into a vsteam box 20 located at the front end of the boiler. By the time the water flowing through the pipes 19' has reached the steam box 20, it has passed into steam, and in flowing back through the remaining pipes 19, WlllCh are surrounded and highly heated by the products of combustion from furnace 4 it becomes superheated, flowing thence into a steam chest 21 at the rear end of the boiler. The feed water from a water supply pipe 22 flows under the inductive action of a pair of steam injectors 23 into a transverse pipe 24 which communicates with the rear ends of the. series of boiler pipes 19'; the injectors being supplied with steam from the steam box 20 through a pair of steam pi es 25 and 26. 7

%rom the rear end of the boiler, just in front of the steam chest 21, the products of combustion pass through a pipe 27 having portions or sections 27, 27*, and 27 of successively reduced diameters, the last section 27 communicating with an outwardly flaring or tapered propulsion tube 28. Leading off from the rear steam chest 21 is a steam pipe 29 also having portions or sections 29, 29", and 29 of successively reduced diameters, similar to and lying opposite the reduced sections 27*, 27", and 27 of the flue pipe 27. From the mainsteam leader 29, 29", 29", and 29 lead off branch pipes 30 that enter the pipe sections 27, 27, 27", and 27, and terminate in injector nozzles 31, 31, 31", and 31. These nozzles in association with the flue sections by which they are surrounded constitute steam jet compressors or inducers arranged in tandem and operating to step up the pressure and velocity of the furnace gases in several stages. I

The furnace gases commingled with super-heated steam and built up in pressure by the steam jet compressors, finally pass into the outwardly flaring or tapered propulsion tube 28, from which they flow in a continuous stream through the rear end of the boat, forming at the latter a sort of pocket between the rear end of the boat and the body of water, expansion of the gases and steam in the propulsion tube 27 and said pocket acting against the water as an abutment to propel the boat in a forward direction.

In lieu of using steam for the various purposes described, it will be evident that compressed air where available may be substituted therefor, or it may be used in association with the steam, with practically the same effect.

The apparatus as thus far described, utilizing as the motive agent only products of combustion and steam, or compressed air and steam, is entirely effective for propulsion purposes; but the efli'ciency of the apparatus may be increased by the introduction of a regulable volume of air into the hot products of combustion to commingle with the latter and thesteani, thus augmenting the volume of the expanding fluid in the propulsion tube and utilizing in the form of energy a certain portion of the heat that would otherwise be wasted in the water or other medium in which the craft navigates. Means for admitting such air to the flue pipe 27 are shown in Figs. 1 and 3, wherein 32 designates an annular row of holes formed in the flue pipe 27 behind the first steam jet compressor, these holes being surrounded by an annular damper ring or sleeve 33 formed with a similar row of holes 34 which may be brought more or less into register with the holes 32 by turning the damper ring by a handle 35.

Finally, to secure greater conservation of heat, particularly in checking loss by radiation, I preferably envelop substantially the entire apparatus as to its sides and top in a closely fitting housing or casing indicated in cross-section at 36 of metal, such as 'tin or brass having a burnished or polished inner surface which reflects back the radiated heat rays. Glass may also be used for this purpose,or any other material capable of reflecting the rays.

From the preceding description of the apparatus and its mode of action, the following salient features will be noted.

Without exception, the fluids employed flow continuously,the feed water into the boiler, the oil, steam and air into the furmice, the steam and furnace gases into the propulsion tube, also the air entrained if it is used.

The heat expended in injecting water into the boiler, oil, steam and air into the fur nace, and air (when used) is all retained in the stream going into the propulsion tube where it becomes effective in intensifying the blast.

The hot furnace gases induced into the propulsion tube hold up the temperature of the steam above 212 F. and prevent it from condensing and tending to create a vacuum. However, if because of entraining a large volume of air into'the propulsion tube, some steam should condense, its heat would be mostly absorbed by the air and neutralize the vacuum effect. It is only the small fraction of steam that is condensed by reaching and making actual contact with the water whose heat is lost.

Because the entire plan is one of very .rapid flow, the parts may be of comparatively small dimensions. The boiler, for instance, need not be bulky since it is supplied with water in a constant stream, being preferably substantially of the flash boiler, type. The furnace also may be of small size, since it is continuously supplied with fuel in a rapid stream forced by steam. Furthermore, the furnace is emptied practically as fast asthe products of combustion are generated by the powerful steam exhauster that is connected into the rear end of the boiler. Obviously, these features conduce to economy of space required for the mounting and housing of the apparatus, and of dead weight carried.

The neatness and convenience of discharging the furnacegases under water are obvious. It will also be noted that the furnace pressure is low-slightly below atmospheric because of the rapid exhaust discharge.

Finally, loss of heat through radiation and conduction is very slight, in proportion to the amount of heat generated, owing to the extremely rapid flow of the hot gases; all the other factors governing loss of heat from these causes being constant.

I claim:

1. In a propulsion apparatus for craft navigating a fluid medium, the combination of a furnace, a steam generator through which the products of combustion from said furnace are led, an exhaust flue for the products of combustion leading off from said generator, one or more jet compressors in said flue supplied with steam from said generator, and a propulsion tube communicating at its forward end with said flue and open at its rear end to the fluid medium being navigated.

2. In a propulsion apparatus for craft navigating a fluid medium, the combination of a furnace, an oil tank, means for injecting a spray of oil from said tank into said furnace, a flash boiler through which the products of combustion from said furnace are led, an exhaust flue for the products of combustion leading off from said boiler, one or more jet compressors in said flue supplied with steam from said boiler, and a propulsion tube communicating at its forward end with said flue and opening at its rear end into the fluid medium being navigated.

3. In a propulsion apparatus for craft navigating a fluid medium, the combination of a furnace, a steam generator through WlllCll the products of combustion from said furnace are led, an exhaust flue for the ward end with said flue and open at its rear end to the fluid medium being navigated.

4. In a propulsion apparatus for craft navigating a fluid medium, the combination of a furnace, means for supplying liquid fuel to said furnace, a flash boiler communicating at one end with said furnace, an exhaust flue for the products of combustion leading off from the other end of said boiler, a steam pipe leading off from said boiler along side of said exhaust flue, a series of jet compressors in said flue supplied with steam from said steam pipe, and a propulsion tube communicating at its forward end with said flue and open at its rear end to the fluid medium being navigated.

5. In a propulsion apparatus for craft navigating a fluid medium, the combination of a furnace, an oil tank superposed on said furnace, means for sprayin oil from said tank into said furnace, a flas boiler located beyond one end of said furnace through which the products of combustion flow, an exhaust flue for the products of combustion leading off from said boiler, one or more jet compressors in said flue supplied with steam from said boiler, regulable means for entraining air into said flue to mingle with the products of combustion flowing therethrough, and a propulsion tube communicating at its forward end with said flue and open at its rear end to the fluid medium being navigated.

6. In a propulsion apparatus for craft navigating a fluid medium, the combination of a furnace, an oil tank, means for supplying oil from said tank to said furnace, a boiler through which the products of combustion from said furnace flow, a steam injector operating to continuously supply water to said boiler, an exhaust flue for the products of combustion leading off from said boiler, one or more jet compressors in said flue supplied with steam from said boiler, and a propulsion tube communicating at its forward end with said flue and open at its rear end to the fluid medium being navigated.

7. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a delivery flue for products of combustion, and a propulsion tube be 0nd and, communicating with the rear end of said delivery flue of a steam jet compressor in said delivery ue.

jet compressor nozzles arranged in tandem in said fine and cooperating with said sections thereof respectively.

9. In a propulsion apparatus for boats, the combination of a furnace, a steam generator through which the products of combustion from said furnace pass, a delivery flue for the products of combustion and steam from said generator. and a propulsion tube communicating with said delivery flue, said furnace, generator, delivery fine and propulsion tube being arranged substantially end to end in the bottom of the boat lengthwise of the latter.

10. In a propulsion apparatus for boats, the combination of a furnace, a steam generator, through which the products of combustion from said furnace pass, a delivery flue for the products of combustion and steam from said generator, and a propulsion tube, all arranged in tandem in and lengthwise of the bottom of the boat, and a sheet metal housing closel surrounding and enveloping the top an sides of said furnace and steam generator and having a polished or burnished inner surface to reflect back radiated heat rays.

LOUIS G. BOSTEDO. 

